Featured topics
- Introduction and orientation
- Barrier reef structure
- Coral ecosystems
- Nurse sharks
- Green turtles
- Tuition
- $3,380
- Duration
- 10 days
- 2027 dates
- July 24 – August 2, 2027
- Credit
- Available through Culver-Stockton CollegeBIO489 Tropical Marine Ecology and Conservation
- Who it is for
- Marine biology, environmental science, and conservation students, or any student who loves the ocean and wants field experience.
Ten days on Belize's coral reef. You'll do daily snorkel surveys, learn marine research techniques, and join conservation fieldwork at protected coastal and marine sites, collecting real data for ongoing research. If you love the ocean and want field experience on your resume, start here.
You'll explore the Belize Barrier Reef from Ambergris Caye south to Caye Caulker. It's part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second-largest coral reef system in the world, and home to around 70 hard coral species, 36 soft coral species, and 500 species of fish. You'll learn how a reef works, why reefs matter worldwide, and how human activity helps and harms them, then take your final exam in a hammock by the Caribbean Sea.
Requirements: This is a very physical program, with up to eight hours a day at sea. Come ready for rigorous activity and plenty of sun.
Highlights
- Classroom, field, and laboratory work
- Daily snorkeling on the Belize Barrier Reef
- Up to eight hours a day at sea, from Ambergris Caye to Caye Caulker
- Time with nurse sharks and green turtles
- How local and global human activity affects coral reefs
- Free time to discover Belize
What is included
Included in Tropical Marine Ecology.
In the price
- Airport transfers in Belize
- Orientation and welcome dinner
- Lodging
- All meals at the TREC marine station
- All lectures, guest speakers, and learning activities
- All in-country transportation for program activities
- All fees for included tourist activities
- Final program dinner
- Program tee shirt
- 24/7 staff support
Not included
- $30 application fee
- Airfare
- Medical insurance (required)
- Transcript fee ($599, optional)
- Personal budget for laundry, souvenirs, etc.
- Free day and evening-time activities
Bringing a group?
Faculty can build any part of this program into a custom faculty-led group, along with the other clinical sites, guest lecturers, and field visits we offer in Belize.